Page 45 of The Merry Christmas Project

She’d done a great job with Holly Cottage in only a few weeks ; it had been transformed since the last time he’d seen it. The kitchen and hall didn’t smell great, obviously, after half the contents of the garden had washed through it, but the living room had smelled amazing, like really expensive perfume. He liked what she’d done décor-wise too. He’d left the bits of furniture, but she’d added to them to make it homely. There were little touches everywhere : vases and plants and rugs. Hopefully those rugs would dry out for her, bless her. Every time she’d looked up at him with those huge green eyes, his heart had turned over. Why did crap things happen to nice people ?

He’d struck lucky having Merry as a tenant ; she was being very reasonable to deal with, even after she’d found out that his building works was the root cause of the flood. Lots of people would have demanded to be moved into a hotel at great expense, compensation for lost wages while they sorted themselves out, etc etc. All she’d asked for was to be cosy.

He felt a wave of sympathy as he pictured her, admitting she wasn’t fine. He hadn’t spotted much of any great value, no pricey TV or gadgets, but the concept of home seemed to be what was important to her. That was what she had lost for the time being : a place to feel at home and cosy.

But what did cosy even mean ? Was it just warm and dry or did she mean cushions and candles ? He’d call Hester quickly hands-free and see what she suggested.

She picked up the phone on the first ring. ‘Hey, make it quick, I’m having my make-up done and then I’m on.’

He was used to her in work-mode and got straight to the point. ‘What does cosy mean to you ?’

‘Cuddling up with Paul in front of the fire, a mug of frothy hot chocolate or depending on the time of day, a glass of Baileys ; a blanket, slippers, low lighting, candles maybe. Does that help ?’

‘Hmm. Not really.’ That all sounded more like a romantic night in than a cosy space to work. ‘What about flowers and cushions ?’

She snorted. ‘I guess so. You are so weird. Oh, I get it !’ she gasped. ‘You’ve had some interest from the app. This is excellent.’

‘Which app ?’ Cole frowned and then it came flooding back to him. Hester had suggested he sign up for a dating app on his phone last night and had written a profile for him. ‘Oh, no. This is nothing to do with that.’

‘Not sure I believe you, but I’ve got to go. I’m selling anti-wrinkle cream today. Want me to get you some ? Those frown lines are getting out of control and you’ll have to start making an effort now you’re back in the saddle. Got to go, big kisses, tell me everything tonight.’

She hung up before he could tell her to get lost. He pulled down the visor mirror and examined his forehead, lifting his eyebrows up and then scrunching them down. Wrinkles, he tutted to himself, amused rather than insulted ; this face told a story, that was all. He flipped the visor back up and returned to considering Merry’s needs.

First and foremost, she needed somewhere to work. Why hadn’t he asked what she did for a living ? Did she need a desk ? Would she have customers or clients visiting her ? There’d been nothing to give him any clues in the house, other than that it had been a bit of a mess. But then he’d excuse her that for the moment. Oh well, he’d just go with the basics and assume that if she needed anything special, she’d already have it.

He hadn’t owned Holly Cottage long. It had been empty for a while ; the previous occupant had passed away, and the family had apparently been unable to agree what to do with it. It wasn’t his type of property, but it was characterful and quirky, features which always held their value. Although he’d kept that nugget of wisdom to himself when he’d negotiated a very favourable price on it.

Sorting out his tenant was adding to his workload at a time when he could do without it, but at least according to Josh, Holly Cottage was the only property to be affected. The cost wouldn’t be beyond him and anyway, he reckoned he could get the landscaping contractor who’d created the problem to foot the bill. Cole would also demand that they clear out the river and dispose of the logs and branches before word got around. Otherwise, he’d have environmentalists and journalists breathing down his neck before anyone could say Greta Thunberg. He’d call the contractor next.

Holly Cottage would eventually belong to Harley and Freya. He’d set up a trust for them when he’d bought it. There was a mortgage on it but renting it out meant that it paid for itself. He’d taken them to see it before they’d gone to Canada. Harley had strutted around it, pointing out strengths and weakness of the location and the building itself. Freya had been enchanted with its woodland setting and vowed that when she grew up she was going to live there for ever and keep rabbits and fawns in the garden.

His precious little Freya ; he felt a flicker of worry for his daughter after a conversation with Lydia earlier in the week. Lydia had gone into her bedroom in the middle of the night after hearing her cry out. Freya had wet the bed, something she hadn’t done for years. Lydia had changed the sheets and reassured their daughter that it was nothing to worry about, but Freya had sobbed and confided that she’d been the only girl in their class not invited to some other kid’s birthday party and that she really missed Daisy, her best friend from home. Cole was grateful that Lydia had told him ; she could easily have kept it to herself. Since then, he’d made sure he’d spoken to his daughter every day and had sent Daisy’s dad a text, asking if the girls could FaceTime each other next weekend. He couldn’t do much from so far away, but he was doing his best.

And by investing in Holly Cottage for them, he thought, he was doing his best for the kids’ future too. Who knew what the pair of them would eventually do with it, but in the meantime, he had a feeling that the cottage was in very good hands.

Within minutes he’d pulled up at Orchard Gardens. He walked around the site, had a word with his team and then after a tense conversation with the landscaping contractor, unplugged the mini fridge he kept there for keeping the milk cool in summer and slid it into the back of the van.

Stage one of Operation Cosy was complete, he thought and then laughed to himself as he got back behind the wheel. As cheesy as it was, he had a feeling that his tenant would appreciate what he’d done. Normally he hated shopping with a passion and avoided shops like the plague. But this wasn’t about him, it was about making Merry happy. It was a while since he’d felt needed, he realised, and it felt good, he felt purposeful again.

He’d missed this feeling, especially now he didn’t even have his kids close enough to need him on a practical level. Maybe, he thought tentatively, he was fed up with being on his own ; perhaps signing up to that dating app had been a good move on his sister’s part. Maybe he was ready to care for someone again, to have someone who knew how he took his coffee, someone to remind him where he’d put his keys. Someone who cared. It was something to consider, he thought, humming to himself, because he was beginning to think that living alone was overrated.

Chapter 15

Merry

15 NOVEMBER

The following morning, I was woken up by Nell snapping on the bedside lamp, its bright red Liverpool Football Club shade glowing like a warning light.

‘Wakey, wakey,’ she sang softly. She was holding two mugs.

‘If I must.’ I yawned and stretched. I was in Olek’s son’s room. It was only a single bed and my bottom had poked out of the duvet several times during the night. But the room was cosy and warm and had the added benefit of a wake-up call from my best friend.

‘I brought you coffee. Strong and milky. Just the way you like it. Hutch up.’

‘Now this is already a much better start to the day than yesterday.’ I sat up and moved across towards the wall before accepting the mug from her. I inhaled the smell of fresh coffee and sighed with pleasure. ‘It’s still pitch black outside. Are you sure it’s time to be getting up ?’

‘The early bird gets the best nuts.’ Nell climbed into bed beside me and pulled the duvet up. ‘I’ll drink this and get ready for work.’